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Shady Oaks Park / airboat access meeting this Wed. night

Daddy Dave

Well-known member
Heads Up.....

Shady Oaks Park design plans will be presented by SFWMD to the "public" this Wednesday night at the Westgate River Ranch Resort on SR 60 starting at 6:00 pm.

Westgate River Ranch Resort
3200 River Ranch Blvd.
River Ranch, FL 33867
863-692-1321

According to Big Gobbler and BWright, it's pretty important to have a large and civilized turnout of those interested in airboat access at Shady Oaks Park on Lake Kissimmee..

Our goals are airboat launching facilities available 24 / 7 / 365; dry launch ramps located as far as possible away from camp sites and the outboard launch area....and acknowledgment that airboaters and airboat organizations played a major role in this site being made available for the public.

There will be an informal gathering of airboaters for dinner after this meeting at Jay Bees Restaurant on Hwy. 60 & Boy Scout Rd. about 10 miles west of the resort.
 
>bump<

I can't make it, Jacksonville's a long ways away.

But please, if you can attend do. It tears me up that my kids and I will never be able to launch out of the family's house down there again, or any of the things that went with the way that fish camp was originally intended to be. Please save what you can for us....
 
Doc,

Will do. I was there when folks at SFWMD - very reluctantly - promised this park and the one at Otter Slough, too. "We'll get right on it", they said. This one is because KRVSA started shakin the bushes...the posts are on here and in the archives...This is one the Big Gobbler is GUILTY of. If not for him, there'd be no proposed park.

We need a strong and civilized turnout.
 
BigDaddy":38bw9tdx said:
Doc,

Will do. I was there when folks at SFWMD - very reluctantly - promised this park and the one at Otter Slough, too. "We'll get right on it", they said. This one is because KRVSA started shakin the bushes...the posts are on here and in the archives...This is one the Big Gobbler is GUILTY of. If not for him, there'd be no proposed park.

We need a strong and civilized turnout.

A big thanks to Big Gobbler for that, then.

I looked on google earth the other night, and couldn't believe everything was gone the way it was. All of our old houses/shacks/trailers down there mowed down and forgotten. Another piece of Florida's history down the tubes.
 
:D :D All attendees most conducted themselves in a manner for which we should be proud of, please give the respect to all who are giving public comments, and we need to contained positive comments with excellent observations of traditional uses associated in a Boat ramp. There has been a big effort to get us this far so do not let those who have work their butts off for you down. We don't oppose emerging multi-use recreational uses, but not at the expense of traditional recreational airboating users.

Our goals are; Highest priority is number #1 lowest priority is number #9

#1 = Access 24 hours a day seven days a week and 365 days per year.
#2 = An Airboat only ramp located as far as possible away from camp sites and the outboard launch area.
#3 = An RV park for overnight camping for both primitive and modern with water, power sites.
#4 = A large parking lot for trucks and trailers, big ones.
#5 = Pavilions picnic tables & BBQ grills
#6 = Housing facilities for a campground host and FWC Law Enforcement Officers.
#7 = Clean restroom facilities.
#8 = Opportunity for airboat rides.
#8 = A fish cleaning station.
#9 = A fish weigh in station for bass tournaments.

Please following the leads of your leaders.

Help is needed just come and fill a seat this will show your concern remember positive attitude brings positives outcome. Sitting home will not give you a new BOAT RAMP[/b]
 
bwright":t54fh7fr said:
:D :D All attendees most conducted themselves in a manner for which we should be proud of, please give the respect to all who are giving public comments, and we need to contained positive comments with excellent observations of traditional uses associated in a Boat ramp. There has been a big effort to get us this far so do not let those who have work their butts off for you down. We don't oppose emerging multi-use recreational uses, but not at the expense of traditional recreational airboating users.

Our goals are; Highest priority is number #1 lowest priority is number #9

#1 = Access 24 hours a day seven days a week and 365 days per year.
#2 = An Airboat only ramp located as far as possible away from camp sites and the outboard launch area.
#3 = An RV park for overnight camping for both primitive and modern with water, power sites.
#4 = A large parking lot for trucks and trailers, big ones.
#5 = Pavilions picnic tables & BBQ grills
#6 = Housing facilities for a campground host and FWC Law Enforcement Officers.
#7 = Clean restroom facilities.
#8 = Opportunity for airboat rides.
#8 = A fish cleaning station.
#9 = A fish weigh in station for bass tournaments.

Please following the leads of your leaders.

Help is needed just come and fill a seat this will show your concern remember positive attitude brings positives outcome. Sitting home will not give you a new BOAT RAMP[/b]

Bump.
Shady Oaks Park design plans will be presented by SFWMD to the "public" this Wednesday night at the Westgate River Ranch Resort on SR 60 starting at 6:00 pm.

Westgate River Ranch Resort
3200 River Ranch Blvd.
River Ranch, FL 33867
863-692-1321
 
All attendees conducted themselves in a manner for which we should be proud, and gave productive, respectful public comments. Most comments contained excellent observations, and there were no requests for anything other than traditional uses associated with a sportsman's park. We didn't oppose any multi-use recreational uses, but traditional recreational uses, such as traditional boat launch was the hot topic of the night.
One question that was asked 24 Hours a Day-7 Days a week- 365 a Year access. (It will be a county Park and there would be a curfew), another question asked if it’s a county park can we transport firearms through it why we launched our boats ( No it’s a county park) would there be a fee (only for camping on county parks not boat launch) This was said by Don ? with Polk county's director of parks and recreation. As you can see this park would be absolutely no good for sportsman's use.
On paper this thing is a beauty with Airboat only ramp, RV park for overnight camping for both primitive and modern, A large parking lot for trucks and trailers with overflow parking, pavilions picnic tables & BBQ grills, and restroom facilities. The SFWM has committed to spending a million dollars on this park and then handing it over to Polk County to run the facility after it's built and this is where the trouble begins. We have our work cut out for us thanks to all who attended what a large crowd of goodhearted Airboaters we did not go unnoticed.
It's time to step back and punt the ball and we'll see where it lands. Just remember winners never quit.

:( :( :(
 
Marshbunny says:
ngu.jpg
 
It was likely sign of our future. The left hand seemed to give...but, not as fast as the right hand took it away.

Pretty pictures, "It's gonna be GREAT".

RV spaces right on the water (we'll make 'em move on after two weeks), hiking trails through the park (Huh???), separate concrete canoe launches (Huh???), caretakers house (Huh???), Oh....and a single airboat launch ramp (Huh??) "This park will open at dawn and close at dusk (Huh???)".

Oh, "It's illegal to possess any weapon on a Polk County park....even if you have a Florida CWP...."

As we remember it, SFWMD was going to build the facility and THEN turn it over to Polk County to maintain and run for traditional uses. Polk NEVER sought this park for its citizens. KRVSA and FAA got the initial concession for this launch facility and for another one at Otter Slough to compensate for the Speight Ranch land swap (it's being nominated for the Darwin Awards Land Deal of the Century.

After the initial concession, UWF and a few others came aboard...gonna be tough knocking them ducks out of the Kissimmee skys with Airsoft guns folks.

For once, it seems like SFWMD was as surprised by the Polk County plans as our gang was. The SFWMD WRAC / REC meeting on February 21 at River Ranch Resort should be a doozie. This is ANOTHER ONE that demands our presence. Please, do the best you can to attend and support our leadership.

Like Cowboy says: "Never Give Up"
 
Word is from SFWMD that they are building this ramp to be a 24/7/365 operation and it will be a launching spot for hunting on and around the lake. If the County cannot accomodate those goals then another managing partner will be sought.
 
bwright":18svngsj said:
The SFWM has committed to spending a million dollars on this park and then handing it over to Polk County to run the facility after it's built and this is where the trouble begins.
I think the trouble starts with SFWM. :twisted:
 
Converted":3mxw0xbw said:
Word is from SFWMD that they are building this ramp to be a 24/7/365 operation and it will be a launching spot for hunting on and around the lake. If the County cannot accomodate those goals then another managing partner will be sought.

:thumbup:
 
First of all I would like to thank everyone who took the time to come to the meeting at River Ranch and hope to see you all and more back their on February 21 at 5pm.for the WRAC meeting. Just a little follow up on the meet and the bad news we received from Polk County. For one there has been a forest fire set underneath (Polk County Parks Man) Don Williams is butt> I can tell you he has had a flood of phone calls from very important people.

There are a lot of Conservationists working on our boat ramp access. There will be a lot more to come right now the sausage is being made we will have to see what it tastes like when we get done but I can tell you they know what we all want. Dealing with government is like dancing with the devil but we have gotten pretty good at dancing even if we step on some toe’s once in awhile.

Thanks to all keep digging.
 
Steve (Coughlin) and Dan (Cotter),

I'd like to take this opportunity to Thank You for last Wednesday's public workshop and I'd like to share with both of you what my thoughts and feelings are regarding the Shady Oaks park proposal.

This facility should be engineered and built to provide maximum opportunities to the general public for the primary purpose of accessing Lake Kissimmee with motor and other vessels. Launch ramps for all users, vehicle-with-trailer parking spaces and the retention of the "Shady Oaks" environment that make this site unique should be the primary considerations.

Traditional users of this particular site have operated within the laws of the United States and of Florida as they have pursed traditional uses of the surrounding KCOL areas. Those legal traditional recreational uses should continue and should be accommodated by this public access site. It is not illegal to transport or possess firearms in the State of Florida.

Any other activities should not interfere with the primary purpose...which should be "Public and Vessel Access to Sovereign Lands and Waters of KCOL".

Hunters, anglers and pleasure boaters have been the predominate users of Shady Oaks for many decades. They should be given priority consideration as this site is developed.

Understanding that different types of motor vessels present different operating environments and launch site characteristics, it should be advantageous to locate airboat friendly launch platforms away from inboard, inboard / outboard or outboard vessel launch sites. This property seems naturally conducive to this approach...even with the planned lake level raising. Centered parking would accommodate each type vessel equally. A couple of large type pavilion / bar-b-que sites would also facilitate the group events that are common with bass angling and airboat gatherings.

These pavilions are readily available on the open market from providers such as Carolina Carports that incorporate 130 mph wind loading as a standard feature. There should not be a need for expensive custom design architecture. What we seek is economical, effective weather protection.

These are the same shelter parameters that we have been begging for as storm shelters in popular gathering sites around KCOL...without any noticeable progress in a very long time. Many folks stand ready to provide all types of support and assistance to get these shelters built.

Respectfully Yours,

Dave

Capt. Dave Markett
 
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